Will not withdraw nomination: BJP rebel leader on Piyush Goyal's ultimatum

BJP rebel leader Naveen Goyal, who is contesting as an Independent candidate from Gurgaon in the upcoming assembly polls, reacted to an ultimatum by Union minister Piyush Goyal, saying he was not going to withdraw his nomination. The Union minister Goyal on Thursday asked the BJP rebel to support party's candidate Mukesh Sharma or else Friday onwards the doors of the BJP will be closed for him forever.

In a press conference here on Friday, Naveen expressed gratitude to the minister but asserted that he would contest the election.

Naveen questioned Sharma's candidature from Gurgaon, alleging that the BJP candidate "took out a procession" in Gurgaon after the death of the prime minister's mother. "He plays DJ, celebrates, and the BJP gives him a ticket," Naveen alleged.



People who have made comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, former Union Minister late Sushma Swaraj and senior leader Ram Vilas Sharma was given the ticket, he claimed, adding that he did not understand the "ticket giving policy of the BJP".

When the party cancelled his ticket, he did not say anything and went among the public, he said.

Naveen Goyal said that he held a meeting with 36 fraternities and discussed the elections and people asked to contest the elections.

"The people of Gurgaon made the nomination historic. After this, we are carrying out our campaign peacefully. Meanwhile, people of the BJP candidate have started misbehaving with our supporters. Posters are being torn somewhere.


"I want to ask what kind of politics is this? I condemned the tearing of posters and the entire incident has been captured in CCTV," the rebel BJP leader said.

Naveen claimed that his supporters engaged in door-to-door campaigning were also misbehaved with and added that threats have also been made to women supporters in Laxman Vihar area.

"We have no hatred towards anyone. Despite this, it is condemnable that the BJP candidate's people are threatening our supporters. In this way, an attempt is being made to spoil the atmosphere in the elections," he said.

Accompanying the rebel leader at the press conference, secretary of a Gurgaon-based housing society, Kulbir Sheoran, alleged that supporters of Sharma were issuing threats to him.

"...Vikas Malhotra and Balwant claiming to be the brother of BJP's candidate Mukesh Sharma, reached my society and threatened me. They even tore the posters of Naveen Goyal," Sheoran said.